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Subject: Re: But Not Yet As Good As Deep Blue '97

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 05:26:16 07/20/00

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On July 20, 2000 at 04:49:40, Ed Schröder wrote:

>On July 20, 2000 at 04:23:06, Amir Ban wrote:
>
>>On July 20, 2000 at 01:52:05, Ed Schröder wrote:
>>
>>>On July 19, 2000 at 20:07:55, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>
>>>>On July 19, 2000 at 16:38:18, Ed Schröder wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On July 19, 2000 at 14:12:14, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>On July 19, 2000 at 12:53:59, Ed Schröder wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>On July 19, 2000 at 12:04:25, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On July 19, 2000 at 00:51:49, Ed Schröder wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>On July 18, 2000 at 21:58:45, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>On July 18, 2000 at 16:49:19, Peter Kappler wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>On July 18, 2000 at 16:03:28, Ed Schröder wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>On July 18, 2000 at 14:08:54, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>On July 18, 2000 at 11:38:01, Ed Schröder wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>On July 18, 2000 at 10:58:51, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>On July 18, 2000 at 02:00:31, Ed Schröder wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>On July 17, 2000 at 20:08:06, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>On July 17, 2000 at 17:02:22, Peter Kappler wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>On July 17, 2000 at 16:09:09, Amir Ban wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>On July 17, 2000 at 07:22:41, Graham Laight wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I'm afraid I still feel that Junior could have come out ahead (instead of
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>level)in this tournament by beating Bareev and Khalifman - and possibly by not
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>losing with such apparent ease to Kramnik. Continuing the game against Anand
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>might possibly have gained an extra half point as well.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I think that Amir has an aspiration to make his program demonstably better than
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Deep Blue (this certainly comes across in his interviews published on the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Chessbase Website coverage of Dortmund (www.chessbase.com) before the Kramnik
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>game). If so, as a (hopefully!) impartial member of the viewing public, I'm
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>afraid to say that I've yet to be convinced.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>As evidence, I point firstly to the games against Bareev and Khalifman. On both
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>occasions when Deep Blue '97 gained an advantage over Gary Kasparov (who's a
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>better player than anyone at Dortmund was), it parlayed that advantage into
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>victory - whilst Deep Junior twice failed conspicuously to "slam in the lamb".
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I would also point to the game against Khalifman. Here we see Deep Junior lose
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>to a combination of blocked centre and king attack - classic anti computer
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>methods which have both been well known for a long time. They work because, in
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>this case, nothing short of truly massive search depth is going to help you to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>make the correct moves.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>However, for both king attack and blocked centre, Deep Blue '97 demonstrated
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>that it's evaluation knowledge was able to adequately handle the challenge.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Indeed, in game 2 in '97, Deep Blue not only handled the blocked centre, it
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>turned it into a win!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>It took Deep Blue 2 attempts to beat Gary Kasparov, the world's best player -
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>maybe another year of work will push Deep Junior to a position where it can try
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>to win these tournaments, instead of settling for a middling position.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>But let's not be completely churlish - Dortmund 2000 was indeed a fantastic
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>performance by Deep Junior - and a landmark in computer chess history, since
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>here is both a computer and a program which one can buy in the shops!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I disagree with most of this, but it's your opinion, and if experience teaches
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>us anything, it's useless to argue.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>For the record, I'm not trying to prove that I'm better than Deep Blue. I think
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I've already shown this some time ago, and I'm not the only one who can say so
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>either.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Looking at the (very few) games of DB, I don't see that it had either better
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>evaluation or deeper search than today's top programs.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Amir
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I must say I'm skeptical, though I would have a good laugh if it were true.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Are you aware of any positions from the 2nd Kasparov-DB match where Junior (or
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>any other micro) plays a clearly better move than DB?  Not that this would
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>conclusively prove a thing - it would just be interesting.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>--Peter
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Or we can take a few of the positions from the DB log files and try them on
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>"top programs".  I'm not aware of any "top program" that can do 16-18 plies
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>in the middlegame...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Please post these positions that would be fun and you might be surprised
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>about the outcome. But the key-moves must be clear as there should be no
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>discussion what is the best move. I for example don't believe the Rc6 vs
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Rc7 is a good position as this is a case of 0.10 (or so) in evaluation.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Ed
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I am not talking about "key move" at all.  I am talking about doing a full-width
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>exhaustive search to depth 16-18 in the middlegame, in the same positions where
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>DB did 16-18 ply full-width searches.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I don't believe _anybody_ can match their depth/speed.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>All fine but where are the promised positions from the log-files...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Ed
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>I didn't "promise" any positions:
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>Yes you are right after I read again. I thought you had some challenging
>>>>>>>>>>>>positions for us poor micro users to compare. What a pity.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>Ed
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>I would suggest that we take a close look at some of the positions from game 1
>>>>>>>>>>>of the '97 match.  It's the only game that DB lost.  Could the micros have
>>>>>>>>>>>avoided some of those mistakes at tournament time controls?
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>BTW, I don't think it's interesting to compare search depths with the IBM
>>>>>>>>>>>logfiles, as Bob has suggested.  I think Amir's original point was that Junior
>>>>>>>>>>>searches as deeply as DB in the lines where it matters.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>--Peter
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>I would claim that point is nonsense.  You only have to read their papers on
>>>>>>>>>>DT and DB to see what their search was doing, extension-wise.  It was quite
>>>>>>>>>>sophisticated, as it proved over and over against micro programs in ACM events.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>I would claim that point is nonsense. Chess is about playing the right
>>>>>>>>>moves. We have seen machines with >200 processors losing all the time
>>>>>>>>>from the micros. If memory serves me well no multi-processor system was
>>>>>>>>>able to win the world champion title since 1992, Deep Thought included.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>And?  Let's try the following dates:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>1983, 1986 (both cray machines)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>1989, special purpose machine
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>1992, no "big iron" present (cray blitz, deep thought).
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>1995 DT lost one game.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>So your statement, while true, is not exactly revealing of what went on.  My
>>>>>>>>program is not doing badly today.  It is (except for wild null move R) very
>>>>>>>>similar to Cray Blitz of 1995 in terms of search extensions and knowledge
>>>>>>>>(except I am not yet using singular extensions as I did in 1995 CB).  I don't
>>>>>>>>think the micros were as far ahead of the 'big iron' as you want to believe.
>>>>>>>>You think it was all hardware.  It wasn't.  And I agree that it still isn't
>>>>>>>>today.  But a better program, on faster hardware, will beat a good program on
>>>>>>>>slow hardware most (but not all) of the time.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>We have been going through this issue how many times? :)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Fact is this is the year 2000 five years after Hong Kong where everybody
>>>>>>>included me expected DT to become the new world champion due to its huge
>>>>>>>hardware advantage. It did not happen.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I don't see any reason why this could not happen again.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I don't either. But take the following scenario:  Someone walks up to you and
>>>>>>says that all the programs in the world are going to gather, including the 97
>>>>>>version of deep blue, and they are going to play a round-robin chess tournament.
>>>>>>You have to pick one program to win the event.  If you are wrong, you lose your
>>>>>>head.  You _must_ bet on one program to win, you have no other choice.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Who do _you_ bet on?  To me it is a no-brainer...
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I wouldn't be happy having to bet on DB, but I can't think of anyone that would
>>>>>>have a better chance to win, even though we _know_ that "crap happens" and any
>>>>>>program can lose a game under the right circumstances.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>But what about probability?  I think it would be open and shut to pick the
>>>>>>program with the best chance, with no thought at all required.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>And yes, there would be a significant chance that you will lose your head.  But
>>>>>>if you pick anybody _but_ DB, the probability goes up dramatically that you will
>>>>>>one day star in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".  :)
>>>>>
>>>>>I have a more realistic scenario. Micro's have made tremendous progress
>>>>>the last years. Imagine that all the programs which participarted last
>>>>>year in Paderborn would meet again including DB. Micro's will enter with
>>>>>more multi-processor systems than last year. In that extremely strong
>>>>>field it's not unlikely DB will lose one or two games + a couple of draws.
>>>>>Okay, worst scenario but quite well possible. If this happens your end up
>>>>>on place 5-7 or so. Like last year in Paderborn not always the strongest
>>>>>hardware wins. A simple Pentium 550 ended number 1 despite of the many
>>>>>multi-processors around. Faster hardware makes you a big favorite but that
>>>>>doesn't mean you will win as Hong Kong has proven so convincingly.
>>>>>
>>>>>Ed
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>I agree.  But you didn't answer my question.  With your head hanging in
>>>>the balance, _who_ would you pick to win such a tournament?
>>>>
>>>>:)
>>>
>>>I did answer the question. I said that DB would be the big favorite. But
>>>I assume we are in disagreement with the percentage which I estimate at
>>>25% (based on the above) which is not much.
>>>
>>
>>Bah ! Wrong answer. You should have answered: Rebel.
>>
>>If and when your life is at stake, always trust yourself.
>
>Yes you are right. How about this answer:
>
>Crafty - Rebel NPS game  0-1
>DB-Jr - Rebel 0-3
>
>So much for speed...
>
>Better this way?
>
>Ed
>
>\


Err... what about "chess 2010"???  :)




>>Amir



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